Westministenders: KAAAAABBBOOOOOOOOMMMMM

[RedToothBrush]

'Quick' Recap.

Once upon a time, despite warnings to the contrary after previously attempting to recreate a speech from the 1930s, Theresa May triggered a50.

A series of events, which included a disastrous unnecessary General Election and losing seats, ensured that we have Brexit by Timetable in which every piece of goodwill was burnt up a long time ago, and the EU decided to go "see ya then".

Only this General Election, made this politically impossible as well as practically impossible, given how this would destroy our economy.

So May did the only thing she could and agreed to lock us in with sufficient progress deal, which is legally binding, if no deal is agreed. Thus giving us in essence a choice between staying in the Single Market and Customs Union due to NI or breaking an international agreement which would destroy all our international credibility and trust.

Except none of the Brexiteers really grasped what was happening. Until this week.

In the meantime we still have had spectacles of Nadine Dorries asking on the infamous WhatsApp Group why we can't stay in the CU. Any Davis saying that he has now apparently 'changed his mind' on the matter. Not that Labour are any better, with Corbyn saying we can't stay in the Single Market and leave the EU. Except of course, Norway is in the Single Market...

Fast forward through a sex scandal that's swept through Westminster, installing self appointing the vampiric Gavin Williamson as Defence Secretary, we eventually ended up with a reshuffle which was possibly as pointless and as successful as the General Election. And Gavin Williamson is caught up in a sex scandal.

May has managed to drag the Great Repel Bill through the Commons, without breaking the party, but with much back room dealing and compromise with Remainers. Hailed as something of a victory by Brexiteers, this rather is a fools paradise. At what price to their ideological purity did this come? Is there much Brexit left? And there is much more to come in the Lords, with the LDs committed to working with Labour on securing at least 10 amendments. The two parties have a majority in the Lords if they work together.

Away from parliament we have had the glorious demise of Toby Young, who is forever to be remembered for eugenics.

As it has become apparent that we are increasingly looking like we are on track for BINO, the EU have told us, that we should have sucked up a compromise proposal earlier and now the Norway Option is off the table as we fucked that up by taking too long to disagree amongst ourselves and being arses to EU citz. I paraphrase slightly here, but that's about he long and short of it. Instead we get the pleasure of 21 months of the EU interfering in our law without representation. And we are already locked into this. Now Leavers can moan about this, and shock horror, actually be correct about it too! Transition will be up to 31st Dec 2020 at the latest. Which realistically is still too soon, not that any lying arsed Brexiteer is willing to admit to this. Yet.

The only way to get out of this proposal for better terms? Either beg the EU for something there is no way they will give us or revoke / extend a50.

The fall out from May's reshuffle is still going on in slow motion. Rees-Mogg has got a bigger platform to spout shit he knows nothing about, admit that he has never changed a nappy nor wiped his own arse, thinks women should give birth to football teams, and how he has never visited IKEA and has no plans to do so. Johnson has tried to build bridges. And effed that one up again. Gove has made us all be obsessed by plastic straws and turn into environmental maniacs because no other minister is good at press releases and media stunts. Arch Remainac Liddington, got Deputy PM and took over Brexshit even more from DExEU. Hunt is in no way after becoming PM and Greening is really pissed and when straight back to lead from the Naughty Step.

To cut the long story short: they all hate May and think she's shit

There are thought to be nearly 48 letters to trigger a leadership election in Graham Brady's hands. But not quite. And its not about the letters its about needing 159 MPs to no confidence her... but that is starting to sound more and more plausible in the face of Brexshit hitting the fan.

We now have a leaked impact assessment that we really were not supposed to see which is slightly less worse than Project Fear. But not by much. Its supposed to be by DExEU. Its been suggested that its actually by alt-DExEU aka the Cabinet Department (Robbins and Liddington).

Anyway, nothing is decided. May might zombie on forever. She won't, she's in a crowded field of Tories with stakes. But that sub-committee meeting on Wed 7th Feb is crunch time for something or someone.

Tick tock, tick tock, went the Brexit Clock.

Oh yeah and there's going to be a trade war between the US and EU. And there's some stuff about a ex-Belize diplomat. And Trump's coming to visit us.

Is May back from China yet?

Remember PritiGate ? Although I'd guess May is using Blair Force one ... not sure if that would show up on FlightRadar24 ...

What an utter self-made clusterf*ck.

Ooh, can we have a Westminstenders sweepstake on which minister will resign? Would Andrea Leadsom be daft enough to have a second swing at it?

Ooh, can we have a Westminstenders sweepstake on which minister will resign?

Unless I am mistaken, you have:

Liz Truss
Julian Smith
Andrea Leadsom
Jeremy Wright
Claire Perry
Caroline Noakes

But let's just remember that they are threatening to resign. As David Davies showed, actions and words don't always match.

A friend of mine (EU citizen) arrived from Berlin at Gatwick yesterday. At passport control, there was a long queue in the EU citizens channel, a far shorter one for non-EU citizens. The reason for this soon became apparent, as there were numerous border force officers dealing with the few non-EU passengers, but just one for the many EU.

As my friend was travelling on her German (EU) ID card, she couldn't use the electronic passport reader, but even among those who could, many were queried and had to go and see the border force officer anyway. The queue progressed at snail's pace and she eventually found out why:

When she finally arrived at the desk, she was asked numerous questions: "Where have you come from? How long do you intend to stay? What is the purpose of your visit? Where will you be staying?" It took ages to deal with each individual due to all these questions.

I thought we still had FOM, so why all these questions of EU citizens? Surely they should be free to come and go without hindrance? My friend got the impression that this was deliberate, particularly as there was only one officer dealing so painstakingly with so many people (most of the people on the flight from Berlin were, naturally, EU citizens).

Just one anecdote, but perhaps an indication of where we're heading. This friend has been to the UK dozens, if not hundreds of times (she's married to, albeit separated from, a Scottish husband and has a dual-nationality daughter) and has never encountered this level of obstructiveness before. It may just be coincidental, but it made her (and others in the queue) feel very uncomfortable.

Now I see that May has reopened the whole citizens' rights/residency issue, despite all the warm words spouted previously. Maybe we'll have to get used to these types of passport control delays, particularly if EU countries reciprocate.

Remember the stated objective to make the UK a "hostile environment" ?

That's what it looks like.

But then 'We are open for business'. And May told the Polish PM that she wanted his citizens to come. He said he wanted them back, they could do with young educated adults at home.

So who is right May with her statements, or .... - well it's a silly question, she spouts hot air.

The Sun article refers to "his" outburst so I'm assuming that rules the women out...whoever he is I hope he has his outburst soon!

So who is right May with her statements

Actions speak louder than words.

Theresa May does NOT want to send the message to tourists that the Uk doesn't want their nasty EU money
Way to put the hospitality industry in recession … ~

and any EU business considering whether to invest in the UK, or to pull existing investment
Great way to signal we're still open for business …

Ending FOM doesn't just affect people on short visits; it affects expats too

My employer in Germany has no worries they can get me a visa to stay, just as they would for a scientist from India, Korea or China etc
By my retirement date, I'll have the years I need to apply for permanent residency

However, what about all the Uk expat pensioners in Spain & France ?
The self-employed, or those with jobs where there is more labour available ?
At least they'll have to fill in forms themselves, provide proof they can support themselves and heave health insurance

Theresa May’s vision of a global Britain is just a Brexit fantasy

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/31/theresa-may-global-britain-brexit-fantasy
…
In some respects Britain is not a global leader but a global laggard.
…
Germany exports five times as much to China as Britain does.
< the EU doesn't stop them >

The idea that Britain has somehow been liberated by the prospect of Brexit to seize pace-making status in the world is simply false.
…
In the past five years, however, the Foreign Office budget has been cut by 40 percent, at the very time the UK is leaving the EU.
In Germany, by contrast, the equivalent budget has almost doubled.
It now spends more than three times the British total.

The EU can deal with the US on equal terms, but the UK can't

• which is why Trump so many US oligarchs HATE the EU and love Brexit.

Trump's recent interview with Piers Morgan was revealing:

“I have a lot of problems with the European Union.
But I will tell you, representing the United States, it’s a very unfair situation.
We cannot get our product in.
It’s very very tough.
And yet they send their product to us – no taxes, very little taxes, it’s very unfair.
I’ve had a lot of problems with the European Union, and it may morph into something very big from that standpoint, from a trade standpoint.
The European Union has treated the United States very unfairly when it came to trade.”

”So we are going to make a deal with the UK, that will be great.”

< I expect "great" from Trump's pov won't be nearly as great for the Uk:

the US can impose terms on a desperate, fawning UK that the EU would refuse,

e.g. the demands from the huge US agribusiness / industry that any deal enables them to export their chlorinated chicken and hormone-ridden beef, -
and without labelling as such, so consumers will find it difficult to avoid >

Hasenstein definitely not the experience we had arriving at Heathrow last week on a Lufthansa flight. We whizzed through passport control far more easily than we had when leaving Germany when we were questioned about which child was which. Just a shame about the 1/2hr wait to get the pushchair back after that

When she finally arrived at the desk, she was asked numerous questions: "Where have you come from? How long do you intend to stay? What is the purpose of your visit? Where will you be staying?" It took ages to deal with each individual due to all these questions.

I thought we still had FOM, so why all these questions of EU citizens? Surely they should be free to come and go without hindrance? My friend got the impression that this was deliberate, particularly as there was only one officer dealing so painstakingly with so many people (most of the people on the flight from Berlin were, naturally, EU citizens).

We are not Schengen and still have a border. This isn't inconsistent with having security and checking who is coming into (and out of) the country.

That isn't stopping FOM.

I've been asked similar travelling to the EU at the EU border. Though admittedly not as many questions.

Not entirely sure why there is an issue here.

Are they asking those questions to prevent FoM or are they about checking whether the person arriving is the person that their ID claims they are or whether they are coming here of their own free will? Asking simple questions can potentially pick up whether there is potentially a problem.

How else would you stop people trafficking? Surely the border is the best place to do this? And this is why you would ask questions (to also appear like you are checking to deter too).

In theory they are less likely to ask UK citz questions as they should be able to see when a UK cit left and whether they were travelling alone / in the same group and be able to determine whether they need to ask questions.

Last year UK passport control did check on the identity of DS when we returned to the UK, by checking he responded to his name. He was two at the time. It wasn't obvious what they were doing as it was such a simple remark that most people wouldn't even have thought anything of. I did find this quite interesting that they were doing that.

Also, asking lots of people questions, might not necessarily be about them. I suspect there is a certain amount of psychology and looking out for odd behaviour that stepping up security might provoke.

Posted too soon. I meant to add - I think the immigration experience varies wildly between airports and shifts but I avoid Gatwick like the plague because of past travel there.

We had the "start conversation with child to see if they respond to their name" with DS at the ferry terminal last summer RTB. By the look on the ladies face after she'd been told all about everything on the ferry I think she wished she hadn't bothered...

Years ago we had a similar experience with the ferry. When my then 7 year old daughter proceeded to tell them that this bag contains a skirt, but I didn't wear it, and that bag contains my dirty knickers .... yup, they let us go smartish.

questioning of children at the border is an old thing.
I don't remember my dc past infancy not being questioned.

I can remember my Dad being questioned for a long time "because his English was too good" back in the early 70s.

There really isn't enough reinforced concrete in the world to prevent this cringefest going off the scale ...

www.theregister.co.uk/2018/02/01/matt_hancock_app_privacy_bug_ed_vaizey/

Move over, Zuckerberg, there's a new social media overlord in town: grime aficionado and Tory MP Matt Hancock.

In his new role as digital secretary, Matt Hancock has decided to up his tech game by launching his very own app – but reports have emerged that it doesn't adhere to the data protection policies he touts in his day job.

(contd)

I don't remember being questioned myself as a child but I do remember my mother having her name checked against the large list of names to look out for whenever we travelled.

Namechange fail there. Bum.

Hi all, can I cheekily ask for a bit of help? I made a complaint to IPSO regarding the Daily Mail this morning as their article on May's FOM red line is misleading, the pictures included were clearly of the non-EU migrants from 2015 (I guess) which is obviously unrelated to this new 'red-line'. Link to article and my complaint is below.

IPSO response Before we proceed, I would be grateful if you could confirm the basis for your position that the people pictured in the article are not from the EU? I am struggling with how to respond?
The pictures are groups of people on the side of train tracks, the other includes tents they are all 'light brown' so to me the bloody thing is obvious but how do I explain that in idiot terms?

^Dear IPSO,

the basis of my position is that one picture includes people who appear to be of Middle Eastern origin against train tracks, another includes similar looking people with tents in the background. Both images are similar to those circulated and published during the 2015 migrant crisis across Europe and in any case the individuals and backgrounds shown are not representative by far of the anticipated EU citizens that would be eligible under FOM during transition.

Kind regards

Luke Cage's Wife^

Does that sound ok? Or is there something stronger that I can write?

The link in case anyone wants to see it: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5337679/Theresa-Mays-red-line-Brexit-migrants.html#comments-5337679

My original complaint:
This article uses pictures of non-EU migrants to illustrate an issue regarding EU freedom of movement. This is hugely misleading as the migrants within the EU are unlikely to have EU citizenship and there will not be eligible for the policy of freedom of movement to the UK. In addition, the article implies that the EU changed its mind, that they stated freedom of movement (FOM) would end 31/03/2019 but have now stated that it will continue during transition. This is true, but the supposed ‘EU change’ is due to the UK requesting a transition period of which FOM will apply. This article is inflammatory and unrepresentative of the true situation.

Maybe stopfundinghate.org.uk/ could advise ?

Re the questioning, DH and I (UK passport) were questioned on our way home to UK at a mainland airport last week. Where we were from, why travelling to UK etc but as we are both 'brown' and it was a country with a high number of migrants we both kind of assumed it was fishing in case we were travelling on dodgy passports.